Data Manager and Analyst at Crown Agents Ltd

Reports to: MEL Advisor ASCEND Kenya/MoH

Duration: Maximum 20 days from 1st October 2020 to 31st March 2021

Introduction

Accelerating the Su­stainable Control and Elimination of NTDs (ASCEND) is a £200 million invest­ment from the UK government’s Department for International Development (DFID), to advance the impact and su­stainability of national programmes tackling neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). ASCEND comprises of two lots - one focusing on South Asia, East­ and Southern Africa (lot 1) and the other on West­ and Central Africa (lot 2). ASCEND Lot 1’s approach is a close collaboration with National Governments and other implementing partners, to enhance national approaches to NTD control and elimination. ASCEND’s goal is to contribute to the global goal of reducing the burden of targeted NTDs so that they are no longer a public health problem.

In Kenya, ASCEND will focus on three NTDs – Schistosomiasis, Lymphatic Filariasis and Visceral Leishmaniasis anchored on the following broad areas of intervention:

(i) *Treatment and prevention of disability, including mass drug administration (MDA), diagnosis and treatment, surgeries, morbidity management.*

(ii) *Increasing the integration of aspects of NTD programmes within the health systems.***

(iii) *Strengthening national health systems, integrating efforts to strengthen the relevant building blocks of the health system.*

(iv) *Data for targeting and monitoring, including impact assessment and alignment of NTDs with national and international MEL systems and processes.*

(v) *Cross-sectoral collaboration, in particular within the health and WASH/BCC sectors. *

DFID has contracted Crown Agents together with its consortium partners to act as Fund Manager for ASCEND in Kenya. In Kenya, ASCEND supports the Ministry of Health and specifically, the Kenya NTD programme which is within the Division of Vector-Borne and Neglected Tropical Diseases (DVB&NTD) and is responsible for coordinating all the NTD control activities in the Country. In Kenya, both the PC – NTDs and the IDM (CM)- NTDs are endemic and thus requires various approaches for coordination and activities to achieve the overall goal of control and elimination of these diseases.

The Ministry of Health with support from Sight Savers conducted a landscape analysis for Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) WASH and Behaviour change. The landscape analysis provided insights into the situation of the WASH in NTD endemic areas and identified the gaps and challenges that affect the implementation of WASH and NTD activities. One of the main findings was the existence of different stand-alone databases/reporting tools in varying formats for collection of WASH and NTD data, which are not linked and this has resulted to poor coordination, a barrier in joint planning of the activities and ineffective decision making. Furthermore, it was not possible to utilize this stand-alone data to demonstrate the contribution of WASH interventions towards achieving the targets in the Breaking Transmission Strategy. The Kenya National Breaking Transmission Strategy (BTS) has three pillars recommended for achieving the main objective - breaking the transmission. They include; WASH, BCC and MDAs.

In order to achieve the objective of expanding the NTDs related WASH interventions, it is imperative that the existing data and datasets are linked, analysed, insights generated and utilized for decision making and for advocacy to ensure that WASH-related interventions are provided in NTD endemic areas, hence the purpose of this Technical Assistance (TA).

Scope of Work

The technical assistance (TA) offered by the Data Manager/Analyst will be focussed on reviewing existing WASH and NTD databases, Updating the Country Integrated NTD database (CIND) with current and retrospective WASH and NTD data, enhancing data quality assurance and generating strategic insights. The TA will primarily focus on generating strategic insights which demonstrate if WASH interventions are contributing towards achieving NTD targets in the Breaking transmission strategy. This information will be used to advocate for additional investments towards WASH interventions in NTD endemic areas where targets are not being achieved and where there is little investment in WASH interventions. This role will require a close working relationship with the MEL advisor, NTD disease focal points, data clerks and the MEL consultant. The specific roles of the MEL consultant will include;

•     Lead the reviewing existing WASH and NTD databases based on defined WASH/NTD indicators
•     Customizing WASH indicators in the Country Integrated NTD database to accommodate other NTDs other than the F&E strategy for Trachoma.
•     Manage Data Entry Assistants and ensure current and retrospective NTD/ WASH data is entered in the CIND.
•     Design and roll out NTD endemicity/WASH access decision tools ( dashboards)
•     Implementing and enforcing regular data security activities such as storage, backups, archiving and user administration
•     Perform various data manipulations, analysis of NTD/WASH data and generate strategic insights and data dashboards as required.

Key Requirements.

Knowledge (Education & Related Experience) and Skills (Special Training or Competence):

• Master’s Degree in Data Management /Information Science or Computer Science
• At least three years’ experience as a Data Manager in a similar position in a research or health institution.
• Demonstrated competence in information management and statistical analysis
• Excellent skills in systems analysis, data management, database design and structures
• Excellent computing skills, including LINUX R and other Open Source software
• Experience in managing multisite, distributed data collection and integration
• Business analysis and basic SQL skills
• Ability to handle large databases and troubleshoot issues involving complex data integration
• Expert knowledge of maintaining and debugging software systems and of writing and editing program documentation
• Ability to work with very tight timelines
• Strong Analytical skills